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Pre-Venus 2: Universe 2: Beauty
'Year 3333, New York, NY ' “Welcome to AIBT new collectors!” began the CEO of American Image Beauty Transformation, a bodacious, blond-haired woman who looked out of place compared to everyone else. She had a different appearance before her transformation, a much more stern, long, and gray face, but now it’s more human, more colored, more attractive, and younger. “You are all going to embark on more exciting duties than you’re used to. Most of you are used to collecting goods and services, minerals, or other items, but this time you guys are devoting to science,” she clapped excitedly. “Science is fun!” Federa chuckled, “the collection process will involve extracting core pieces from actual people of the past, and I KNOW you guys are perfect for this task! Congratulations on your new position and WELCOME to American Image!” The new collectors, and all the previous workers, clapped and shook hands. It was official. Ignacio looked around the room and took it all in. Finally he was able to pay for his health insurance with this new job, and it seemed much more exciting at that. They began right away with no role call or further introduction. He felt rushed, but he was excited to start anyway, so he made no complaints. Group 34 was rushed in and separated from the rest of the new collectors, following a Prime who signaled them in a narrow corridor encased in metal. “My name is Lucas Redsand,” said the Prime, “I know there hasn’t been much introduction, but we’re in a little bit of a rush this season, seeing as there’s a growth in consumers and as we’ve just acquired the ok from the Time Keepers to improve our business. So we’ll be getting started soon.” Redsand was a Martian last name, meaning someone in your family tree migrated to the Red Planet in the Great Chaos of 2903. Not many survived. But that was 430 years ago, and since, new generations of humans established themselves and mingled with the survivors. The commonwealth countries still exists, in fact, right now we’re in New York City, with larger and more numerous buildings than ever, and Henry Rosenburg Marcus as our President. Some third-world countries were seceded into other countries, but for the most part, the state of the nations remains the same. Humans have peacefully migrated to Mars in 2080, so there was already a mild population from all major countries there by the time the Great Chaos occurred. Mars had its land equally partitioned between the commonwealth countries and there was a peaceful transition of land and resources, each country having its own set of communication ports and vessels travelling to and fro. The population on Mars before the evening of the Great Chaos was 4053, including leaders and tributaries of every nation. The morning after GC the population soared to 304,500. It was a catastrophe on earth that left all inhabitants without life. A project known as NOAH brought animals, plants, and other natural items from earth in containers and safehouses to Mars, and when Earth was again safe enough for return, they were brought back. We were in a room with interfaces starting back at us, and digits circulating every monitor visible. It was confusing and overwhelming. “You’ll get used to these systems shortly, but for now, put on your helmets.” We were tossed these elastic, black headgears that looked as if they wouldn’t protect us from the smallest flies. It stretched over my head perfectly. I’ve time traveled many times before in my previous job, but never with this advanced technology. “Your task is simple, retrieve the artifact as marked on your GPS. Your clothes are packed in your corresponding suitcases and they fit the theme of the time frame you’re in. Collect the artifact and, well, that’s it. Bring it back and PLEASE, try not to harm it, or confuse it, or…Just don’t alter the artifact too much. Be nice to it, and bring it back working fully and in one piece. Any questions?” I rose my hand first, “what are these artifacts?” Lucas replied, “I can’t tell you here. You will see once you arrive. Now guys, remember that these capsules are monitored not only by us, but the Government. Any move that is unauthorized means automatic release and prison time. Time traveling is risky business. But you guys are smart and have experience, which is why you’re here, so there shouldn’t be any problems! Once you’re geared up and feel ready, enter them and begin. Oh! And the code for entry is the UFINS algorithm.” I had no idea what the UFINS algorithm was, but I already reached my annoying questions limit for the day, so I kept my mouth shut and moved to the capsule designated for me. I bumped into another collector, “sorry.” “This one’s mine,” he said, his face long and boring, like an owl. “THAT one is yours, 278.” He was right. I headed to the capsule (clearly labeled 278), and entered it. The doors immediately closed around me and the lights changed from red to blue. The monitor had digits I didn’t even know existed, and characters of some other language. In the center, it read “algorithm.” I pressed the keys I was used to pressing in my previous job to travel back in time, and the sides of the capsule spun around me; a good sign that it worked. On my watch, I clicked the expand button and a holographic interface popped up to reveal the GPS, task status tracker, and other information. The main monitor on the capsule asked for the date information, so I entered 05-16-2039. I always struggle in deciding whether it’s month, date, and THEN year, or another order. My clumsiness usually takes me to the right place, though, so I didn’t worry this time. The capsule stopped spinning and I became dizzy for just a moment. I’m used to travelling, so my dizzying got better. I don’t faint like I used to! - 'Year 2039, New York, NY ' I stepped out of the cleared doors into an abandoned office floor, with views of South Manhattan outside of it. Surely I was in the same place, since time capsules never teleport you, but just take you back and forth in time. But even though it was the same building as it was in year 3333, it sure appeared different. There was no metal texture around the walls or floor, and no ambience, as if nobody’s stepped foot in here since the building was constructed. I put down my suitcase and opened it to find brown formalwear, with a tie. It was tacky, but I guess it was just for the time being. My GPS kept beeping while trying on the clothes, the shirt was too tight on me, and the pants a little big. I pressed the find button on the GPS and it finally silenced. It revealed a confusing underground map, saying something about “Under level transport.” I went to find the teleporter, going to the corner of the room where there was a staircase entry, when I remembered that I was not in the 33rd century anymore, and I had to descend manually. After just about 12 flights of stairs, I exited the stairway and into a lobby, gasping for air. There were other people in suits, but also in bland, 21st century clothing. I knew I acted out of place, but in appearance I was not too much. Everyone appeared happy to be here, some children were pointing up at the ceiling, and others were pointing what looked like telescopic lenses and clicking buttons on them. Buttons! Haha! I remember those… They had such fair skin, yellow, some black, and uplifted faces. Their noses were full and remarkable. You could clearly point out masculine and feminine facial features! It was great. Even after so much time travelling, I never grow tired of admiring pre-Chaos humans and their beauty. I stepped out onto the street and everyone looked rushed, while a handful looked pleasant and without worries. People looked up in the sky, since they HAD a sky to enjoy…unlike us… They looked down, to the sides, they weren’t afraid. They had intentions, and happiness in their faces, and devices in their ears, hands, and mouths. I guess those are 21st century communication devices…cell phones they were called. As I walked past the building I just exited, I looked up. Of course! The Empire State Building… the building that stood the test of time, and calamity, and was largely renovated after the Chaos, changing in appearance and size completely, but it’s architectural “modernity” still in check. I call bullshit! This version was so much better. Architects of my time need to step up their game… I walked down a sign that said “6” and it took me underground, like my GPS had suggested. My watch no longer popped out an interface, knowing the technology didn’t exist at this time, so I relied on the little screen which directed me where to go. I hopped on a train and it took me down to…somewhere else. After an hour long train ride and another hour and a half long bus ride to Philadelphia, I arrived to the house marked on my GPS. So this is it, I thought. The house was so average and looked just like its neighbors. In fact, it wasn’t a house but an apartment with a continuous block of other apartments on either side and across the street. The street glowed red from the bricks of the buildings, with white windows perched consecutively and accurately on the facades. The only thing marking the entrance was a set of steps and hand rails. It looked quite elegant, with a few trees lining the street. Very 21st century North American. I knocked on the door three times before an answer. A girl opened the door slowly but surely, and tilted her head on the side to say, “hello…” Her eyes were blue. I’ve never seen anyone with blue eyes. “Hi, how are you? I’m uhh-” I paused and took out a note from my suitcase and handed it to her. I knew it was awkward for me to remain quiet so I finished, “as the letter says, I’m from American Image Beauty Transmography. I’m just here to collect the uhh…” She finished reading the note and her face glowed, “You’re from the modeling agency! Come in, come in!” She let me in! That was easy. “Thank you!” I muttered, as I entered the home, it was cold and smelled like wood. There was wood everywhere! Wood as furniture? Wood as siding for the walls? Wood flooring? So much nature. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to this place.” “It’s okay! Wow, I can’t believe…” she began. “Helen! Come down here, hurry! Are you really from the agency?! Oh I knew they would ask for me once they’d come down! Are you from London? Paris?” “New York,” I replied. Her mouth opened. “NEW YORK?” she was excited. Her blond hair ran down to her waist, thin and alive with color, her face a pale tawny birch color that blended beautifully with her feminine features. They were sharp, and her cheekbones were loud, calling me over, almost taunting me to touch her perfect jaw lines. Her nose was small, her nostrils facing downward, and her eyes set inside a perfect distance back in her sockets, blue like the 2039 sky. Helen came down, and so did Kristen. The three of them faced me, and they looked exactly the same. Triple the beauty. “I uhh…” I couldn’t even mutter a word. I was mesmerized. I was excited. My privates were feeling sensitive and I haven’t felt this way in a long time. I knew I looked stupid so I managed to stutter more words, “I’m from New York, yes. Hello girls,” I smiled and bowed. New Yorkers never bow, and I don’t think anyone in the 21st century did either, but it was all I could muster. They were so excited they hugged me. “We thought you’d never call us, or better yet, visit us!” said Grace, the one who opened the door for me. “This is an exciting opportunity for the three of us, we’ve always wanted to be in modeling but in the RIGHT agency, the right place, not some scam like we’ve encountered before.” “Scam?” I began, “that’s horrible. Who would scam you three wonderful ladies?” “You’d be surprised!” My GPS beeped, and upon closer look it showed that the artifacts I had to collect were right in front of me. And there were three dots. I looked up at them and they escorted me to the living room, sat me down, and offered me drinks. - “No thank you! I must insist,” I replied. I didn’t know what to do or say, but I had to get them to the capsule and back to American Image. I didn’t have anything in my suitcase that would help me, so I used my wit. “Now this agency is a little special…” They were so excited and talking amongst each other, they didn’t even bother to hear me out. I cleared my throat and caught their attention, smiling to make things less suspicious. “Haha, yes. Yes it is exciting, I know! I’m here to congratulate you girls on a very arduous and imperative task that you have ahead of you.” They had blank faces, but I kept on. I had just remembered that I had witnessed people from the past being transported to AIBT and placed in large containers where scientists extracted their beauty elements to be used on customers of the company. It was all coming to me now. I was transmogrified in order to do this job. I underwent a procedure that they required us to do, which would alter your appearance to a pre-Chaos human look. I am more masculine, and attractive, and an image of the American from the past. Before, I looked alien in comparison, my face long, skin gray, but now I have muscles, pecs, biceps, abs, and my skin is white, my eyes blue. It all makes sense! They want me to collect these girls for their procedures! I felt so bad for them. Those humans were like rats in a lab, sitting lifelessly in a smoky capsule, where scientists probed them with needles, and other awkwardly shaped instruments. They were prodded like insects, their cells and dna robbed from them, and their skin scrapped off for duplication and cloning, and platelets placed on ugly post-Chaos humans in order to alter their appearance. I felt guilty, but there was not much I could do, and I definitely cannot show up empty. Every move in the time capsule was monitored. No wonder the girls believed me, and touched me, and hugged me. No wonder strangers gave me looks on the subway. I had forgotten how I look. I’m used to my old self. It’s because I’m now a beautiful 21st century man. The girls liked me, but this isn’t who I am. It’s not even what I want for them. I gave them a story about how I became a model myself, and my days in New York. It was all made up. They laughed, cried, and ended up sitting next to me. They played with my hair, touched my lips, flirted, danced, and even invited me upstairs! I couldn’t oblige, since I had to go back and bring them with me. Every hour my GPS beeped, making me realize I was there for 3 hours already. We were so comfortable, the four of us. I told them that I would come back the next day to take them on a trip, a trip of their lifetime. They agreed happily and I left. I booked a hotel in downtown for a night and slept there. Returning the next day early in the morning, I once again knocked on their door, and they were dressed up and ready to follow me. We took a bus ride to Manhattan, straight to the Empire State Building. They expressed their amazement in the studio being there. I told them it wasn’t, that it was in another time. They laughed and held my hand. As we walked down the street people took pictures of us, and we were swarmed at one point, where people asked me what my name was (I never replied). They said something like “which one’s your girlfriend? All three of them?” They were asked so many questions, they were famous. I felt even more guilty. I brought them up to the 12th floor by elevator, and entered the stairway into the 13th floor entrance. The door wouldn’t open, but I had remembered my suitcase had an encapsulator. An encapsulator signals the future my thoughts without any communication necessary. I signaled my Prime, Lucas, and he responded: enter now. '' Upon opening the door with the ladies on either side, there was a studio, a photography station, the capsule disguised as a fitness room, and normal-looking people with normal-looking clothes. Lucas, the best looking of all of them, black-haired and tall, masculine and fit, approached the three girls and kissed them each in the hand. They gave in so quickly. I knew their fate, but I couldn’t change anything, as much as I wanted to. They were put to work immediately, although they were excited to begin anyway. Everything about this company was quick. No time was wasted. The girls were done their makeup, changed clothes a billion times, took pictures, kissed cheeks, met and greeted everyone, rotated clothes, took more photos, danced, hugged me and thanked me for the opportunity, and repeated everything I listed. The view of southern Manhattan grew dark, and streets and building lights multiplied, creating a living cascade of 21st century activity in a populated city such as this one. The girls were asked to put on “33rd century space suits,” and I had only wished this gave them the hint. They put it on excitedly, and were told to wait in the “futuristic looking!” fitness rooms. The red lights became blue, and the doors closed shut. “You did a wonderful job, Ignacio,” Lucas said to me, “Collect the girls at the station with haste, and cover them in bags. If anyone asks, you’re shipping mannequins.” “I thought we weren’t allowed to transport living people, Lucas. I don’t want to get in trouble.” “You agreed to this job, Irv, don’t back up now. Remember the reward at the end,” he winked at me. I entered one of the now empty capsules, typed in 03043333 and spun out. I was angry. '''Year 3333, New York, NY ' Upon exiting onto the platform, I saw other Collectors muttering excitement, their faces happy. We simultaneously walked to the Collected Goods station, where a giant revolving platform spun slowly allowing us to retrieve our items as they came from inspection. The fact that these bagged up living humans passed through inspection successfully is beyond me. I picked up the bags labeled 278a, 278b, and 278c and placed them on my hovering cart. I was strong, my newly acquired strength allowed me to carry each girl with ease. The hovering cart and I blazed through the station and through the sky bridge. A 33rd century New York breathed around me, taller, thinner skyscrapers jut through the atmosphere, sky bridges littered the view, with flying cars zipping by in organized wind tunnels. The skyline of New York City contained its beauty, with the center of Manhattan having the most hovering buildings as the bedrock wasn’t suitable for such tall structures, but downtown and midtown had the same soaring heights of the buildings and crystalized facades, with glass columns and balconies flowering some of the residential buildings. Antennas and glowing giant devices sat on the office buildings, while parks and trees nested on some of the apartment complexes hundreds of stories high. In the sky, a red and black taint glow reflected on the glass and metal colonnades and spires of the tallest buildings, a sign of post-Chaos calm. A blue, sparkling dot stood out from the horizon which marked the now populated Red Planet (Mars). I was sliding on an automotive sky bridge to the AIBT building from the Time Collection Hub, with my hovering cart in front of me filled with 3 white bags the shape of bodies. I was wearing my metal flesh suit. Upon arriving at the AIBT, along with a few other collectors and their carts with bags (all had 3), I passed by the centerpiece, visible no matter where you are in the building, as it sat on the middle floor on a giant circle, containing 6 platforms, with people dressed in white coats poking at Pre-Chaos humans. On each platform was a set of beds, where post-Chaos humans lay ready to be transformed. A large sign above read “Have we lost the real American beauty? Not anymore!” I pressed the button to enter the laboratory drop-off point, a room that smelled like rubbing alcohol and full of men in white suits. “Thank you…What’s your name?” one of them said, looking at the bags and not me. “Ignacio, you can call me Irv.” “You can leave these with me, thanks for your work, Irvin.” “Irv, and what are you going to do with these?” “Leave it up to us. We’re perfecting America’s image! We’re making things the way they were supposed to be, my friend. I see you’ve experienced it for yourself. How has it fared so far?” He finally looked up at me, and touched my face, admiring my facial features. He stroked my chin. “Good…I guess. But-” I took his hand off my face, and continued, “what about them? I grew really close to these girls. What will happen to them? Are they even alive?” The scientist laughed, “Of course they are! They are not going to be harmed. We would never harm a fellow Twentifirstian. They are contained in a liquid solution that keeps them at a constant life state, but they are not being harmed or suffering at all! They were brought from the past so they lived their life already, we’re just simply letting them relive in order to use them for good. Technically, they already died a thousand years ago. They’re now immortal!” “But we robbed them! We robbed them and brought them here. If time plays out right that means they didn’t get to live their lives! I know how time works; I’ve been smuggling artifacts from the past for almost two decades!” “Sir, sir…we’ve got this all figured out. Time does not play along the path that we think it does. It plays on a linear line, we can’t adjust it. We don’t alter it in anyway-” “You’re talking nonsense! Of course we can alter time why do you think our job is so dangerous?” “I am not questioning your position…I am merely saying what I know.” “You get paid more than me and you don’t even deal with fluxes, absorption, dizziness, or any of the SHIT we go through in order to make our current state happy! All you do is stick needles in these beautiful human beings and inject them into ugly monsters. Where’s management, I’m quitting. You’re not even allowed to smuggle humans across time, that’s a danger not even your GOD will ever in his right mind allow! The consequences are severe!” I was furious, I stormed out with my hovering cart of bags before he bothered to reply, and ran to the ascender. How could they have gotten the permits for this? Is the government- Wait… The government isn’t even monitoring collection is it? Just when I had an epiphany, a security guard stopped me and violently shoved the cart out of my hands. “Code 112,” he muttered to his wrist device. - “We knew some were going to act up, it’s normal for a workload such as this. It’s not easy. Marina, call Yuris up! I’m able to manage a thousand new employees; I can’t believe Red doubted me. I’ll be with you in a moment, dear.” CEO Federa sat in her wide, aluminum desk. Aluminum became scarce in the late 29th century and completely used up in the next few years. It’s like diamond, now, but with new time traveling technology, it has been smuggled across time and brought back. It has created a sort of modern Bauhaus movement in furniture lately. I sat what felt like a mile away from Federa in her large office, painted white and black, and ornamented in white and black. A different security officer than the one who confiscated the cart from me on the 90th floor stood next to me. Federa spoke on the phone to someone, and said things in a language I did not understand. She finished and addressed me. “I know you have questions, darling, but our corporation is managed in a way that we cannot simply grant you all the answers. At least not now, you understand?” “No,” I said sternly. She stuttered. Then stood up and walked towards me, “This is a great job, you have to admit. The pay is ridiculously high compared to the modest earnings you had in BBM Corp. don’t you think? Wouldn’t it be a little ridiculous losing it over some girls? They are fine, we don’t harm them-” “Yes you do! And I don’t plan on losing my job, I simply want questions answered!” She stood up next to me, hips leaning on the table, “there is a long queue behind you…a long list of people who want this job, and are more than qualified, Venus.” “I just want to explain to you the implications of what you’re doing, please let me?” “Fine,” she obliged. “Go on, but I don’t have much time, Ignacio.” As she paced to her desk I began to explain, “time is not linear, like everyone here thinks. I’m no expert but I’m very experienced, and all the collectors know it, but they’re desperate for the pay you give us. If you take a body, living and breathing, and transport it a thousand years to the future, into a post-Chaos future, you are removing it from the earth’s natural cycle.” She interrupted with something inaudible. “Let me finish!” I was frustrated, “what comes first, the chicken or the egg? You may think this is a stupid question, right? But think about it, through evolution our lives came to be, millions or billions of years ago, I don’t know. What we absorb is from the earth. What we breathe is oxygen. And how do we grow? By the energy from the earth transforming in our systems into cells; HEAR ME OUT: we are made of this earth! So what happens when you remove one human from-” “Nonsense” she interrupted. She signaled the security officer code 3, which meant sending me to prison. - I was zapped into unconsciousness, most likely, since I don’t remember being transferred here. I’m locked up behind, not bars, but a metal door. Alone in a semi-lit room. On my wrist reads ‘Inmate #322016-278’. In this state, numbers follow you forever. You are always a number, and I’m always something-something-278, or simply 278 by itself. In school I wasn’t even called a name, it was 278. There’s just too high of a population to account for now, and to make a name for yourself means to be born into a family who’s done the work. It’s impossible now, to go from the bottom to the top. No matter the profession or your skills, you will never make it unless your fate meets luck and you’re born into the top. A guard stepped in front of my cell, and I could see him from a slit in the door. “Guard, please…please, just tell me why I’m here,” I said. “I won’t entertain any questions, sir. All I can tell you is you’re here for smuggling humans across time frames.” My heart probably stopped at this point, because I did not feel it beating. I actually didn’t feel anything at all. Not even the pain in my temples I usually feel because I time travel too much. Nothing…at all… - “Illicit activities, smuggling jewelry without reporting it to inspection…” “Well at the time, sir, inspection wasn’t much a thing, he could’ve been oblivious.” “What family does he come from?” “Venus.” “That’s not a family, that’s a planet.” “That’s what it says here…Ignacio Roman Venus.” “Let me see… this doesn’t make sense. Look up someone from the Venus family.” - “Where are you from, Ignacio?” - 'Year 2039, Philadelphia, PA ' In the Skyview Plaza Hotel & Suites, where I decided to stay since it was near the Drescher triplet’s house, the lobby was full of marble, beautiful, and natural. I loved this century’s use of natural elements to cover up the flooring and walls. I was on the 16th floor, since I did not feel like meeting with other collectors on the 13th (hidden floor). The 13th floors of some of the buildings in the US were altered by a time traveler in order to facilitate rooms for use by collectors, seers, and other workers involved in exploration. Done easily, in fact, by planting in someone’s head that 13 was a bad number! This was my time to plan, to plan what to do with the girls instead of landing them to their fate. I had to think. I could not alter away from the time frame path, since I was being monitored. I couldn’t bring a fake body since the GPS marks the artifact, and Lucas would know. How can I do this without being caught? How did AITB get permission to transfer human bodies across time? Did they make a deal to the president? Hmm… I don’t want to end up in prison, I need the money, and at the same time, I want to protect these girls and everyone the other collectors are grabbing from their fate… I have an idea, and it just might work… I can lie to Lucas and tell him the girls will not go through the capsules alive, they’ll be dead because they’re too young and time will stretch their age, and also their beauty. That I’ve tried this before because I’m experienced. This is the first time they’re doing this anyway, he’ll believe me. I’ll tell him that in order for them to be alive when they arrive in 3333, I will have to collect them as babies, replace them when they’re about to die, so they can be born again and live their life. Then I will collect them and transport them to their infant selves, have them replace themselves when they’re dying of old age, again and again, years after years, so that they can live a millennium without aging too much or dying. They’ll be fully alive and not artificially awoken by some science liquid or whatever that shit is. Then…Since they’ve been alive for a millennia, they’ll have lived so many lives and I can offer to pick them all up and that means more of the same created clones for AITB to use! Lucas and Federa would love this idea. It means more profits for them, and it’s good because the earth will remain with the same human body content, and actually MORE, so many that it will undo the Great Chaos, or at least minimize it (since we are still smuggling minerals and other natural content from the past). But at least no humans will be robbed of their lives in which they had the right to live, and everyone gets the best of both worlds… The only thing is these girls will create suspicion across a non-time traveling set of eras, so their identities will have to be different in each life. I will drop them off as babies in a place where they can be adopted and raised under a different name. If all the collectors did this, we could revolutionize the way we collect and nobody will be harmed! They will be able to poke and prod one of the cloned copies in order to have their customers happy, but also the Drescher girls will be living, too! And have lived a millennium, so they’ll be formidable, strong, and probably full of life, so much that maybe they won’t die until a very long time. They’ll be protected, along with the other beautiful people brought from the past. I’m excited. - I’ve done it all. I collected the girls, and once again they were happy to see me. I had their infant selves and they admired it, I planted it in the time frame but somewhere else, so that they could be adopted and not be discovered. We went into the time capsule and forwarded 23 years (they’re age), and they saw themselves as 23 year olds, cloned! They told them everything, and why they were being duplicated, so their cloned self knew what was going on, and they told them to simply live life how they please, they have no worries! I kept this on for a millennium, transferring back and forth from the hospital in 2016 to collect the infants, to their consecutive 23 year old selves. They helped me, with excitement, and were always the first ones to step out and step back into the time capsule. Everyone wins! We released the final baby in the pre-Chaos society, and then another post-Chaos because I don’t think they survived the Chaos (you had to have been upper class to evacuate to Mars successfully during the calamity). They grew up to be 33 in 3333, as well as having their original selves with me, and the scientists used their 33-year-old bodies for poking and prodding, but they were alive and breathing. They were not dead at all! They were happy to be duplicated for their beauty. I changed the way this company works. It all worked out! The 23 year old beauties that were with me stayed with me and liked me a lot, but I told them my true origins, and showed them my true appearance. They didn’t seem to care that I was ugly. In fact, one of them said I looked like her ex-boyfriend from 2034, that the same guy who they transmogrified me after was collected around that time, so it was ''him. They said I was better, and I was happy. Happy with Helen. “So my full name is Ignacio Roman Venus, and I literally don’t know who my parents are. Or any of my family, I couldn’t trace them back at all, not even to the Chaos. My last name, Venus, has never been used before as a last name, and obviously no one’s settled on Venus so I don’t even know where it came from. You guys are my family now.” “I like it,” said Helen. “Let’s get married. I’ll have your last name.” - '''Year 3335 New York, NY ' 2 years have passed since I revolutionized the human collection system, and AITB became the largest corporation in the universe. It was larger than the oil companies, which also used time travelling to collect oil as the commodity was scarce. It STILL surpassed the technology companies, even those of Japan and Taiwan (now independent), whose advances also relied on time travelling technology. A beauty company, you’d think it would have not been, but it passed every other company on Earth and Mars! Everyone wanted the beauty from the 21st century. Everyone wanted those eyes, the noses, the face, the skin color, the smile, the wrinkles, the dimples, the hair, the makeup, the fingers, the feet, the body, the tone, the voice, the butt, the genitals, the perfection. The only ones who still remained their post-Chaos ugly selves at this point were the poor, and the majority on Mars. For the most part, everyone looked beautiful now. They didn’t look the same as the Drescher triplets or the other collected good-looking people, their looks strayed away from the upmost origination of this perfection, but still they carried it nobly. Helen and I got married, and she, along with her sisters, adopted the last name of Venus. I now had a family, and something to live for. I made a name for myself, and everyone knew me as Venus. I “birthed Venus.” I was famous everywhere I went. On holidays I traveled with Helen and the girls to the past, enjoying ancient history in the making, or witnessing Columbus discover the Americas. We saw Indians being held captive by the French and British colonials. We saw everything. Our lives were so perfect. It was too perfect to be true. Lucas was happy, and the company was happy. Lucas got together with Grace, and she was the happiest girl in the world (although, I’d just like to point out she liked me first). Although, for 2 years the Government has gone amiss, and I just came to notice. The President hasn’t shown up in any public events or made any state addresses, and Federa? Where was she?? Lucas took over the company now, along with a bunch of other people I’ve never seen before. I was head of the Collection department, and we brought in more and more people from the 21st century. They were all adamant to be in our time frame, being the center of beauty and perfection. They were famous, they were the models of our time, and weren’t even from our time. It became normal to look like a twentifirstian, and if you didn’t then you’re shit out of luck. - '3335, Munich, Germany ' “We need to undo this,” said a deep voice in front of me. I could not see the owner, my eyes were covered. It smelled like alcohol. “Where am I?” I managed to breathe out. “Who are you?” “LET US GO!” I heard three simultaneous voices yell across from the room. The Dreschers! I panicked, and kicked and punched in front of me, but I was zapped back into calmness. “We need to undo this, Ignacio,” said the voice again. “You’ve caused the Great Chaos. You’ve made a mess. Americans have too much power, all because of you! They are starting to limit our country’s use of the time travelling technology, they’re taking it all for themselves! Everyone here is ugly, and you guys are all pretty! This has to be UNDONE!” “WHAT ARE YOU…” I began. I caught my breath, “what are you talking about? I didn’t cause the Great…” I was dizzy, but I could still hear the voices. They had German accents. My blindfolds were lifted, and I saw the three beloved triplets sitting with blindfolds tied around their mouths, their 35 year old selves, on metal floating chairs behind a glass wall. The German, along with a group of other men wearing what looked like military badges, held a laser shooter, and left the room to walk to the other side of the glass where the girls were sitting. They three girls gave me a look, a silent cry for help. I couldn’t do anything, nothing at all. But I knew this was the 35 year old version of them, so not much harm done, right? Just no more beauty transformation, no more AITB, but I could care less. The German pointed the laser at them, all three, and without a sound they fall to the floor at the same time. I was shocked, how could they be so cruel? “Don’t feel bad for them. They’ve taken over-” the German began, but I interrupted. “Taking over?! They were here for one purpose and one purpose only, and it’s to fulfill the needs of the American Image Beauty-” He cut me off, “THEY are not fulfilling the purpose that you think they are! It’s about time we’ve caught them, and we need to undo all of this! Rolena here was working for the US Government, unnoticed, under a new name and identity! Her real name? Helen! You dropped her off 35 years ago, and she was intelligent! While she got a hold of a position in the American system, Grecia there was beauty consultant for AVA beauty, then she entered an open position, with her bedazzling experience, to American Image Beauty whatever-you-name-it! And finally, Kristal – wait! – guess where she was? Oh! You got it! The Time Traveling Agency! The three of them worked together under new identities in order to bring in their friends to this future, and take over. You gave them the opportunity, Ignacio! You opened the doors for them! And you must UNDO it all!” I was in shock, my hands were sweaty, and my chair was floating above the floor, wobbling to the sides. The pain in my temples was blown out of normal proportions. I haven’t felt like this since my old days starting as a time collector, messing up the numbers and ending up travelling more than my allotted time frame, weakening me. Sickening me. Leaving me fragile. And now this. All the time I spent with the girls, and they do this to me. I thought they were innately good, and would mean no harm, but they caused a world takeover. All for trying to restore what once was the 21st century peace era. They maneuvered everyone with their looks, and their pleasant attitudes, and their beautiful chins and noses, their flair. Their immortality. They coerced everyone to succumb to their commands, and gained so much power. They created a monster: a country that fell under the Drescher curse. They begged them for help, they didn’t know who the culprit was. They had no idea they it was them, and ultimately I'', who caused the Great Chaos of 2903, leaving everyone scarred and ugly, killing so many people from the Planet in order to eliminate the population and bring it back to how it was a thousand years ago. It was them who granted access for bodies to be transported to and fro time. This broke the Earth’s natural content balance, and caused the Great Chaos. And of course! They knew! I birthed them into this. The German militants were right, I have to undo this! I have to eliminate all their lives. But I can’t do it alone… “There’s 3 of them here, dead,” began the German. “And 3 more out there right now, who are being confiscated by the now trusted and fully functional German and American government secretaries, who ordered troops to lock them away. They must die, Ignacio, and we must undo everything. There are 3 every 23 years dating back from the Great Chaos, blending in with society and probably wreaking havoc. They are good girls, I know of it, but when you duplicate their bodies and scatter them throughout different time periods, you mess with nature vs. nurture, my friend. Some of them perhaps turned out great, and did good things! Some, however, no so much. You have to go back and eliminate them, one by one, by one, by one, by three, by three, and so on and so forth. It’s the only way to undo this mess. I don’t blame you, we’ve watched you from the beginning, along with some experts in time travelling technology without any of the girls realizing we were plotting against them. “You can’t do it alone, we know, but we also cannot send our own aids to help you because it’ll create a giant hole of suspicion from years ago that may mess with the results. If done correctly, this will undo everything, including the Great Chaos. We will send Collectors, the best of them, to help you eliminate the copies that were created of other models from the past. We need to erase all traces of duplication and any occurrences made with the exploring technology. Here we have a list of all those that need to be eliminated. We don’t have everyone’s names, but most. They have their identities changed, because they were planted as infants in front of people’s houses, in orphanages, etc. And some of them ended up in other countries, as well. This won’t be easy, but at least you’ll have help. The Americans are now aiding us in diluting this mess out, and once it’s completed, time traveling will be completely eliminated.” The German laid out a map in front of me, and a list. He put a suitcase beside me, with the number 278 on it. “J-just…just when I made a name for myself,” I cried. I still could not believe it. “What will I be when all this is done? Nothing again? I will be poor, lonely, and miserable again.” “You’re doing this for everyone’s good, Ignacio. Nobody except us will know of it, we’ll reap you compensation and let you live on your own in good condition. We won’t forget about you. Nobody else will know about this, but we will. The other collectors will assume that AITB, under the new administration of the Government and Military of the United States, is simply eliminating its models and will be explained that they need to be eliminated across time. You are in charge of them! Don’t let them stray far from the main task. This is a war, Ignacio, against people of another time. You let all this happen, although I am not settling all the blame on you, but you must lead the undoing, for us, for you, and for the sake of humanity. Everyone, including us, depend on you now. You’ll be given everything. You will rescue the girls from the past and they can help you undo all this, since they know their own instincts and inhibitions. They know where their clones will be. They will guide you, and you will guide them. “Don’t tell them what exactly you are undoing, for they will try to plot against you and use the time capsule themselves. We codenamed it ''Plan C, where Plan A was the original intention of AITB, Plan B was your collection revolution, and Plan C is our reversal of everything. Everything is laid out in the papers, and your suitcase has everything you need, including today’s technology, that will aid you in this mission. We will be controlling the capsule, in case anyone like the sisters, try to use it against you or try to escape. You don’t necessarily have to kill the clones yourself, you can use the devices in the suitcase, or lure them in a time capsule, and we’ll know the identity, and they’ll be sent to us to be killed. It’s up to you. There’s dozens of them, multiplied by 3, so we know you’ll use the various options at your disposal and see which one’s best.